Endothelial Function Correlates With Pulmonary Pressures in Subjects With Clinically Suspected Pulmonary Hypertension.

Impaired pulmonary circulation hemodynamics are characteristic of pulmonary hypertension (PH). We therefore sought to evaluate possible correlations between endothelial function noninvasively assessed by brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and hemodynamic parameters at right-sided cardiac catheterization in patients with clinically suspected PH. Consecutive outpatients with suspected PH were enrolled in the study. In all patients, endothelial function was assessed by FMD and hemodynamic parameters (pulmonary artery pressure [PAP]); pulmonary vascular resistances [PVR]) were derived by right-sided cardiac catheterization. For this study, 95 consecutive patients with suspected PH were enrolled (mean age 63 ± 13 years, 58% male) and included in the analysis. FMD values were significantly correlated with systolic (s)PAP levels (r = -0.29, p = 0.016); correlation with PVR was of borderline significance (r = -0.21, p = 0.78). After multivariable regression analysis including age, gender, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion and peak tricuspid regurgitation velocity (peak TRV), and FMD, the latter remained significantly correlated with systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) values (B = -47, p = 0.02). After classifying patients according to median levels of peak TRV and FMD into 3 groups (neither, either, or both impaired), progressively increased levels of sPAP, mean PAP, and PVR were found (p for trend <0.001 in all cases). FMD values were inversely related to sPAP levels in a small population of patients with clinically suspected PH. In combination with peak TRV levels, FMD values noninvasively assessed were predictive of increased sPAP, mean PAP, and PVR.

Combined peripheral and central ultrasound for the diagnosis of PAH-SSc patients.

BACKGROUND: Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), an intricate autoimmune disease causing tissue fibrosis, introduces cardiovascular complexities, notably pulmonary hypertension (PH), affecting both survival and quality of life. This study centers on evaluating echocardiographic parameters and endothelial function using flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in SSc patients, aiming to differentiate those with and without pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The emphasis lies in early detection, given the heightened vulnerability of the right ventricle (RV) in the presence of PH. METHODS: Fifty-nine SSc patients and 48 healthy subjects participated, undergoing clinical examinations, echocardiography, FMD assessments, blood analyses, and right heart catheterization (RHC) according to the ESC/ERS guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of PH. RESULTS: SSc-PAH patients displayed lower FMD, higher frequency of TAPSE < 18 mm, RA area > 18 cm2, act RVOT < 105 ms and TRV > 280 cm/s compared to those without PAH and healthy controls. Resting resistivity index (RI) was higher in SSc patients, with no significant difference between those with and without PAH. Lower FMD% serves as a predictive marker for adverse cardiovascular outcomes in both SSc and SSc-PAH patients. Stratification by TRV levels and PAH presence reveals notable FMD% variations, emphasizing its potential utility. CONCLUSIONS: Early identification of endothelial dysfunction and impaired RV echocardiographic parameters, such as TAPSE and TRV, could aid in predicting right ventricular dysfunction and PAH in SSc patients.

Circulating Biomarkers in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: An Update.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare subtype of group 1 pulmonary hypertension (PH) diseases, characterized by high pulmonary artery pressure leading to right ventricular dysfunction and potential life-threatening consequences. PAH involves complex mechanisms: vasoconstriction, vascular remodeling, endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, oxidative stress, fibrosis, RV remodeling, cellular hypoxia, metabolic imbalance, and thrombosis. These mechanisms are mediated by several pathways, involving molecules like nitric oxide and prostacyclin. PAH diagnosis requires clinical evaluation and right heart catheterization, confirming a value of mPAP ≥ 20 mmHg at rest and often elevated pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). Even if an early and accurate diagnosis is crucial, PAH still lacks effective biomarkers to assist in its diagnosis and prognosis. Biomarkers could contribute to arousing clinical suspicion and serve for prognosis prediction, risk stratification, and dynamic monitoring in patients with PAH. The aim of the present review is to report the main novelties on new possible biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring of PAH.

Endothelial Function in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: From Bench to Bedside.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a complex pathology whose etiology is still not completely well clarified. The pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension involves different molecular mechanisms, with endothelial dysfunction playing a central role in disease progression. Both individual genetic predispositions and environmental factors seem to contribute to its onset. To further understand the complex relationship between endothelial and pulmonary hypertension and try to contribute to the development of future therapies, we report a comprehensive and updated review on endothelial function in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Right ventricular dysfunction in chronic heart failure: clinical laboratory and echocardiographic characteristics. (the RIVED-CHF registry).

BACKGROUND: Right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) and pulmonary hypertension have been recognized as two important prognostic features in patients with left side heart failure. Current literature does not distinguish between right heart failure (RHF) and RVD, and the two terms are used indiscriminately to describe pulmonary hypertension and RVD as well as clinical sign of RHF. Therefore, the right ventricle (RV) adaptation across the whole spectrum of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) values has been poorly investigated. METHODS: This is a multicenter observational prospective study endorsed by the Italian Society of Cardiology aiming to analyze the concordance between the signs and symptoms of RHF and echocardiographic features of RVD. The protocol will assess patients affected by chronic heart failure in stable condition regardless of the LVEF threshold by clinical, laboratory, and detailed echocardiographic study. During the follow-up period, patients will be observed by direct check-up visit and/or virtual visits every 6 months for a mean period of 3 years. All clinical laboratory and echocardiographic data will be recorded in a web platform system accessible for all centers included in the study. RESULTS: The main study goals are: to investigate the concordance and discordance between clinical signs of RHF and RVD measured by ultrasonographic examination; to evaluate prognostic impact (in terms of cardiovascular mortality and heart failure hospitalization) of RVD and RHF during a mean follow-up period of 3 years; to investigate the prevalence of different right ventricular maladaptation (isolated right ventricular dilatation, isolated pulmonary hypertension, combined pattern) and the related prognostic impact. CONCLUSIONS: With this protocol, we would investigate the three main RVD patterns according to heart failure types and stages; we would clarify different RVD and pulmonary hypertension severity according to the heart failure types. Additionally, by a serial multiparametric analysis of RV, we would provide a better definition of RVD stage and how much is it related with clinical signs of RHF (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06002321).

Cardiovascular Biomarkers in Cardio-Oncology: Antineoplastic Drug Cardiotoxicity and Beyond.

Serum biomarkers represent a reproducible, sensitive, minimally invasive and inexpensive method to explore possible adverse cardiovascular effects of antineoplastic treatments. They are useful tools in risk stratification, the early detection of cardiotoxicity and the follow-up and prognostic assessment of cancer patients. In this literature review, we aim at describing the current state of knowledge on the meaning and the usefulness of cardiovascular biomarkers in patients with cancer; analyzing the intricate relationship between cancer and cardiovascular disease (especially HF) and how this affects cardiovascular and tumor biomarkers; exploring the role of cardiovascular biomarkers in the risk stratification and in the identification of chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity; and providing a summary of the novel potential biomarkers in this clinical setting.

Flow Mediated Dilation in Systemic Sclerosis: Association with clinical findings, capillaroscopic patterns and endothelial circulating markers.

AIM: Endothelial dysfunction represents a key feature of the pathological process underlying micro and macro-vascular damage in Systemic Sclerosis (SSc). This study aims to improve knowledge of the physiopathology of vascular damage in SSc through the assessment of the endothelial dysfunction by Flow Mediated Dilation (FMD) and serum levels of circulating endothelial dysfunction markers and the correlation of macrovascular damage with clinical findings and microvascular capillaroscopic patterns. METHODS: 57 SSc patients and 37 healthy subjects were recruited. All included subjects underwent radial artery FMD test and Nailfold Video-Capillaroscopy; serum levels of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and angiopoietin-2 were evaluated. RESULTS: Compared to healthy subjects, in SSc patients lower FMD and higher time needed to obtain the maximal FMD responsewere observed, whereas serum levels of VEGF, VCAM-1, and angiopoietin-2 were significantly higher. The impairment of FMD values was associated with disease duration, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and digital ulcers and correlates with greater microvascular damage evaluated by Nailfold Video-Capillaroscopy… An inverse relationship between VEGF, angiopoietin-2, VCAM-1 levels and FMD was observed, but only VEGF and angiopoietin-2 were significantly higher in patients with digital ulcers and pulmonary arterial hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: FMD ultrasound test and circulating levels of endothelial dysfuncion markers could be useful as biomarkers of vasculopathy and could be a helpful tool in the overall assessment of vascular injury in Systemic Sclerosis patients.

Why do some Children Get Sick with Recurrent Respiratory Infections?

Respiratory tract infections (RTI) represent a frequent condition, particularly among preschool children, with an important burden on the affected children and their families. It has been estimated that recurrent RTIs affect up to 25% of children during the first 4 years of life. These infections are mainly caused by viruses and are generally self-limiting. Social and environmental factors have been studied in determining the incidence of recurrent RTIs and the mostly recognized are precocious day care attendance, tobacco exposure and pollution. Primary immune defects, local anatomical factors, and genetic disorders such as primary ciliary dyskinesia or cystic fibrosis, may be also involved in recurrent RTIs of a subgroup of children, typically characterized by more severe and chronic symptoms. However, there is increasing awareness that RTIs have a complex pathophysiology and that some underrecognized factors, including genetic susceptibility to infections, low levels of some micronutrients, and respiratory microbiota might shape the probability for the child to develop RTIs. The sum (i.e. the number) of these factors may help in explaining why some children get sick for RTIs whilst other not. In some children iatrogenic factors, including improper use of antibiotics and NSAIDS or glucocorticoids might also aggravate this condition, further weakening the host's immune response and the possibly of establishing a "vicious circle". The present review aims to focus on several possible factors involved in influencing RTIs and to propose a unifying hypothesis on pathophysiological mechanisms of unexplained recurrent RTIs in children.

Novelties in the pharmacological approaches for chronic heart failure: new drugs and cardiovascular targets.

Despite recent advances in chronic heart failure (HF) management, the prognosis of HF patients is poor. This highlights the need for researching new drugs targeting, beyond neurohumoral and hemodynamic modulation approach, such as cardiomyocyte metabolism, myocardial interstitium, intracellular regulation and NO-sGC pathway. In this review we report main novelties on new possible pharmacological targets for HF therapy, mainly on new drugs acting on cardiac metabolism, GCs-cGMP pathway, mitochondrial function and intracellular calcium dysregulation.

The Role of Congestion Biomarkers in Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction.

In heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, edema and congestion are related to reduced cardiac function. Edema and congestion are further aggravated by chronic kidney failure and pulmonary abnormalities. Furthermore, together with edema/congestion, sodium/water retention is an important sign of the progression of heart failure. Edema/congestion often anticipates clinical symptoms, such as dyspnea and hospitalization; it is associated with a reduced quality of life and a major risk of mortality. It is very important for clinicians to predict the signs of congestion with biomarkers and, mainly, to understand the pathophysiological findings that underlie edema. Not all congestions are secondary to heart failure, as in nephrotic syndrome. This review summarizes the principal evidence on the possible roles of the old and new congestion biomarkers in HFrEF patients (diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic roles). Furthermore, we provide a description of conditions other than congestion with increased congestion biomarkers, in order to aid in reaching a differential diagnosis. To conclude, the review focuses on how congestion biomarkers may be affected by new HF drugs (gliflozins, vericiguat, etc.) approved for HFrEF.

Impact of vaccination on electrocardiograms of hospitalized patients for Covid-19.

Introduction: We sought to assess the impact of SarsCov-2 vaccination on admission12-lead electrocardiogram of hospitalized patients. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed and compared admission 12-lead electrocardiograms of all patients hospitalized in dedicated Internal Medicine Unit for Covid-19 both in pre-vaccination period (PV) and after vaccination (V). Results: 667 consecutive Covid-19 in-patients were enrolled in the study: PV hospitalized patients were older (68vs57 years, p < 0.01), had higher rates of atrial fibrillation/flutter (13%vs2.5%, p < 0.01), any arrhythmia (26%vs8%, p < 0.01), and ST-T abnormalities (22%vs7.4%, p < 0.01). Mortality rates in hospitalized Covid-19 patients were higher before vaccination period (20%vs4%, p < 0.01). Minimal vaccination coverage of population (V period) was inversely and independently associated with in-hospital mortality (odds ratio 0.09, 95%CI 0.01-0.68, p < 0.05). Conclusions: SarsCov-2 vaccination campaign and even partial coverage of local population was associated with less frequent abnormalities at admission ECG in hospitalized non-critically hill Covid-19 patients and lower mortality.

SGLT2 Inhibitors: Statins or ACE-Inhibitors of the 21st Century?

Current guidelines propose therapeutic algorithms based on left ventricular ejection fraction values and clinical presentations; however, these guidelines do not specify which of the four pillar drugs to start first [...].

Left Atrial Functional Remodeling in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure Treated with Sacubitril/Valsartan.

(1) Background: Previous studies showed left ventricular (LV) and left atrial (LA) improvement and reverse remodeling after therapy with Sacubitril/Valsartan (S/V) in patients affected by heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Therefore, we sought to investigate predictors of LA structural and functional reverse remodeling (LARR) in this setting of patients after therapy with S/V, focusing on left atrial strain parameters, such as peak atrial longitudinal strain (PALS). (2) Methods: Patients with HFrEF underwent clinical and echocardiographic evaluation at baseline and after six months of therapy with S/V. Measures of LA structure (LA volume index, LAVi) and function (LA emptying fraction (LAEF), PALS, LA conduit strain and peak atrial contraction strain (PACS) were also analyzed. Patients were divided in two groups, those with a LARR (relative reduction in LAVi > 15%, LARR+) and those without (LARR-). (3) Results: A total of 47 consecutive patients (66 ± 8 years, 85% male, mean LVEF 28 ± 6%) were enrolled in the study and followed up. A significant increase of LAEF (46 ± 13 vs. 37 ± 11%, p < 0.001) and a significant reduction of LAVi (42 ± 15 vs. 45 ± 15 mL/m2, p = 0.008) were found after 6 months of S/V therapy; 47% of the population showed LA reverse remodeling. LA strain parameters, PALS (19 ± 8 vs. 15 ± 7 %, p < 0.001) and LA conduit (-9.7 ± 5.2% vs. -7.6 ± 4.1%, p = 0.007) significantly improved after 6 months of S/V therapy. At multivariable stepwise regression analysis, changes in LV End Diastolic Volume (LVEDV) and PALS were significantly proportional to changes in LAVi values. (4) Conclusions: Six months of treatment with S/V in patients with HFrEF was associated with an improvement in LA functional reverse remodeling in a real-world scenario. LARR was not significantly correlated to baseline echocardiographic variables, but was proportional to changes in LV volumes and LA strain parameters. Finally, after S/V therapy, a strict connection between LA and LV reverse remodeling and between LA anatomical and functional reverse remodeling seems to be outlined.

The Evolving Phenotypes of Cardiovascular Disease during COVID-19 Pandemic.

COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the management of patients with acute and chronic cardiovascular disease: acute coronary syndrome patients were often not timely reperfused, heart failure patients not adequately followed up and titrated, atrial arrhythmias not efficaciously treated and became chronic. New phenotypes of cardiovascular patients were more and more frequent during COVID-19 pandemic and are expected to be even more frequent in the next future in the new world shaped by the pandemic. We therefore aimed to briefly summarize the main changes in the phenotype of cardiovascular patients in the COVID-19 era, focusing on new clinical challenges and possible therapeutic options.

Vascular and metabolic effects of SGLT2i and GLP-1 in heart failure patients.

Alterations of endothelial function, inflammatory activation, and nitric oxide-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (NO-cGMP) pathway are involved in the pathophysiology of heart failure. Metabolic alterations have been studied in the myocardium of heart failure (HF) patients; alterations in ketone body and amino acid/protein metabolism have been described in patients affected by HF, as well as mitochondrial dysfunction and other modified metabolic signaling. However, their possible contributions toward cardiac function impairment in HF patients are not completely known. Recently, sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (RAs) have emerged as a new class of drugs designed to treat patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), but have also been shown to be protective against HF-related events and CV mortality. To date, the protective cardiovascular effects of these drugs in patients with and without T2D are not completely understood and several mechanisms have been proposed. In this review, we discuss on vascular and metabolic effects of SGLT2i and GLP-1 in HF patients.

How brachial access compares to femoral access for invasive cardiac angiography when radial access is not feasible: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Trans-radial access is considered the best approach for cardiac catheterization. The choice of an alternative access route may be complex and trans-femoral access (TFA) is generally preferred. However, trans-brachial approach (TBA) may represent another feasible alternative. We therefore aimed to compare TBA and TFA in terms of access site bleeding and complications in a meta-analysis study. METHODS: We systematically searched principal databases for studies comparing femoral and brachial approach in terms of in-hospital vascular complications in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization (coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention). RESULTS: Five retrospective studies and one randomized study were identified for the meta-analysis; 2756 patients undergoing a TBA and 331.208 patients undergoing a TFA for cardiac catheterization were included in the final study. No significant differences between access routes were found in terms of risk of any vascular complications (relative risk 1.18; 95% CI: 0.91-1.53; p n.s.). Brachial access was associated with a significantly lower risk of access site bleeding (relative risk 0.46; 95% CI 0.24-0.88, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: TBA for cardiac catheterization was associated with a lower risk of access site bleeding and a comparable risk of any vascular complications compared with TFA. TBA may be considered a reasonable alternative access route for cardiac catheterization, at least as femoral approach.

Pharmacological Anti-Remodelling Effects of Disease-Modifying Drugs in Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Cardiac remodelling is an adverse phenomenon linked to heart failure progression and an important contributor to heart failure severity. Cardiac remodelling could represent the real therapeutic goal in the treatment of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, being potentially reversed through different pharmacotherapies. Currently, there are well-established drugs such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers and ß-blockers with anti-remodelling effects; recently, angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor effects on inhibiting cardiac remodelling (improving N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels, echocardiographic parameters of reverse cardiac remodelling and right ventricular function in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction) were demonstrated. More recently, hemodynamic consequences of gliflozins, reduced cardiac hydrostatic pressure as a possible cause of ventricular remodelling and hypertrophy were proposed to explain potential anti-remodelling effects of gliflozins. Gliflozins exert their cardioprotective effects by attenuating myofibroblast activity and collagen-mediated remodelling. Another postulated mechanism is represented by the reduction in sympathetic activity, through the reduction in renal afferent nervous activity and the suppression of central reflex mechanisms. Benefits of gliflozins on left ventricular hypertrophy, dilation, and systolic and diastolic function were also described. In this review, we aimed to provide a wide overview on cardiac remodelling with a particular focus on possible anti-remodelling effects of angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitors and gliflozins.

Electrocardiographic findings and mortality in covid-19 patients hospitalized in different clinical settings.

BACKGROUND: Twelve-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) represents the first-line approach for cardiovascular assessment in patients with Covid-19. OBJECTIVES: We sought to describe and compare admission ECG findings in 3 different hospital settings: intensive-care unit (ICU) (invasive ventilatory support), respiratory care unit (RCU) (non-invasive ventilatory support) and Covid-19 dedicated internal-medicine unit (IMU) (oxygen supplement with or without high flow). We also aimed to assess the prognostic impact of admission ECG variables in Covid-19 patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the admission 12-lead ECGs of 1124 consecutive patients hospitalized for respiratory distress and Covid-19 in a single III-level hospital. Age, gender, main clinical data and in-hospital survival were recorded. RESULTS: 548 patients were hospitalized in IMU, 361 in RCU, 215 in ICU. Arrhythmias in general were less frequently found in RCU (16% vs 26%, p<0.001). Deaths occurred more frequently in ICU patients (43% vs 20-21%, p<0.001). After pooling predictors of mortality (age, intensity of care setting, heart rate, ST-elevation, QTc prolongation, Q-waves, right bundle branch block, and atrial fibrillation), the risk of in-hospital death can be estimated by using a derived score. Three zones of mortality risk can be identified: <5%, score <5 points; 5-50%, score 5-10, and >50%, score >10 points. The accuracy of the score assessed at ROC curve analysis was 0.791. CONCLUSIONS: ECG differences at admission can be found in Covid-19 patients according to different clinical settings and intensity of care. A simplified score derived from few clinical and ECG variables may be helpful in stratifying the risk of in-hospital mortality.

Network meta-analysis of medical therapy efficacy in more than 90,000 patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction.

BACKGROUND: Following the availability of new drugs for chronic heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), we sought to provide an updated and comparative synthesis of the evidence on HFrEF pharmacotherapy efficacy. METHODS: We performed a Bayesian network meta-analysis of phase 2 and 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of medical therapy in HFrEF patient cohorts with more than 90% of the participants with left ventricular ejection fraction less than 45% and all-cause mortality reported. RESULTS: Sixty-nine RCTs, accounting for 91,741 subjects, were evaluated. The step-wise introduction of new drugs progressively decreased the risk of all-cause death, up to reaching a random-effects hazard ratio (HR) of 0.43 (95% credible intervals [CrI] 0.27-0.63) with beta blockers (BB), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi), and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) versus placebo. The risk was further reduced by adding sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i; HR 0.38, 95% CrI 0.22-0.60), ivabradine (HR 0.39, 95% CrI 0.21-0.64), or vericiguat (HR 0.40, 95% CrI 0.22-0.65) to neurohormonal inhibitors, and by angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), BB, and MRA (HR 0.36, 95% CrI 0.20-0.60). In a sensitivity analysis considering the ARNI and non-ARNI subgroups of SGLT2i RCTs, the combination SGLT2i + ARNI + BB + MRA was associated with the lowest HR (0.28, 95% CrI 0.16-0.45 vs. 0.40, 95% CrI 0.24-0.60 for SGLT2i + BB + ACEi + MRA). Consistent results were obtained in sensitivity analyses and by calculating surface under the cumulative ranking area, as well as for cardiovascular mortality (information available for 56 RCTs), HF hospitalization (45 RCTs), and all-cause hospitalization (26 RCTs). CONCLUSIONS: Combination medical therapy including neurohormonal inhibitors and newer drugs, especially ARNI and SGLT2i, confers the maximum benefit with regard to HFrEF prognosis.

Remodelling is inversely proportional to left ventricular dimensions in a real-life population of patients with chronic heart failure after therapy with sacubitril/valsartan.

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular (LV) remodelling is a major mechanism underlying disease progression in patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (EF). Previous studies that LVEF improvement and reverse remodelling can be achieved after therapy with Sacubitril/Valsartan in real-world settings. Therefore, we sought to investigate possible predictors of LV remodelling, in particular echocardiographic parameters derived by Tissue Doppler Imaging. METHODS: Patients with chronic HF, LV dysfunction (EF < 35%), NYHA class II-III were followed up between September 2016 and January 2019. All patients underwent clinical and echocardiography follow up at baseline and after 12 months of therapy with sacubitril/valsartan. RESULTS: Fifty-four consecutive outpatients were enrolled in the study. At follow-up visit LVEF (38 ± 9 vs. 30 ± 5%, p < 0.0001), LVEDD (61 ± 8 vs. 62 ± 8 mm, p = 0.0085), LVESV (114 ± 57 vs. 130 ± 56 mm3, p = 0.0001), mitral regurgitation severity (1 ± 1 vs. 2 ± 1, p < 0.0001), and left atrial area (23 ± 6 vs. 24 ± 6 mm2, p = 0.0121) changed compared to the baseline value. Changes in LVEF (follow up vs baseline) correlated with baseline levels of heart rate (r = 0.24, p = 0.048), LVEDD (r= -0.33, p = 0.004), LVEDV (r= -0.39, p = 0.001), LVESV (r = 0.37, p = 0.002), and changes in LVESV (r=-0.34, p = 0.006). Correlations remained significant even after correction at multivariate analysis including age and gender. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with sacubitril/valsartan in patients with systolic dysfunction is associated with an improvement in LVEF in a real world scenario. Smaller LV volumes are associated with better reverse LV remodelling.